September call-up debate: Will Nick Castellanos, Avisail Garcia be added to roster? Probably not

AP File PhotoThe Detroit Tigers' Ryan Raburn, left, is congratulated by Jhonny Peralta after hitting a home run in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals.

DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers prospects Nick Castellanos and Avisail Garcia have major league talent written all over each other.

Both can swing a bat with purpose and both appear in line to reach the majors in the near, near future. But will they make their major league debut this year?

Let's take a look at a few of the outfield candidates that could be called up when the Tigers' roster expands in September:

Ryan Raburn

Technically speaking, Raburn wouldn't be called up. He's currently on the 15-day disabled list, playing in Triple-A Toledo as part of an injury rehab assignment. That said, he can rejoin the team in September when rosters expand without the necessity of a corresponding move. It's kind of a loophole.

Even if Raburn's struggles continued during his rehab stint in Toledo, it still seems likely that the 31-year-old would rejoin the team in September. But that hasn't been the case. Instead, he's been smashing the ball for the Mud Hens. In seven rehab games, Raburn is
hitting .310 (9-for-29) with three homers, nine RBIs and two doubles.

Is the second-half Raburn back?

• James Schmehl verdict: Like it or not, he's coming back. That's a lock.

Castellanos can hit. More specifically, Castellanos can hit left-handed pitchers. Since being promoted to Double-A Erie on June 20, the 20-year-old is batting .400 with a 1.043 OPS against southpaws. Not too shabby, right? Still, it might not be enough to warrant a promotion.

Jim Leyland has said he only wants to bring up players who can help the club. So can Castellanos help out? Not defensively. There's still questions surrounding his defense in right field -- a position he recently started playing after shifting from third base in early July. It's steadily improving, but there's still plenty left to learn.

Then again, if Castellanos was to be called up in September, it would seem likely that his sole role would be to serve as a pinch-hitter against left-handed pitchers. So, who cares about his defense?

• James Schmehl verdict: Too many strikes against Castellanos. He's not on the 40-man roster. He still has yet to hone his defense in right field. And, he's batting just .154 over his last 10 games for Double-A Erie. He's not coming up.

Garcia, to me, makes more sense to bring up than Castellanos. He is a steady outfielder with a cannon-like arm that could serve as a late defensive replacement for Brennan Boesch in right field if needed. Castellanos can't fill that role.

Garcia is also heating up at the right time, hitting .341 with a homer, a triple and two doubles in his last 10 games. And, finally, he's already on the 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move wouldn't be necessary to bring him up Saturday.

More importantly, the right-handed hitting Garcia is hitting southpaws particularly well in Double-A Erie, batting .341 -- compared to .305 against right-handed pitchers. That said, Garcia's plate discipline issues -- like Castellanos -- remain a concern. His 37:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn't pretty and his confidence could certainly be rattled if he was thrown to the sharks.

• James Schmehl verdict: It's a risk to bring him up -- and I just don't see the Tigers taking it. Should they? Well, that's another question for another time.

• Chris Iott verdict: Tigers fans will see Garcia someday. Don't believe it will be in September.

-- Editor's note: Detroit Tigers reporters Chris Iott and James Schmehl will make predictions about a handful of potential September call-ups during a four-part series that ran at 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. This is the third story in that series.